SINGLE SEED OYSTERS---A RARE DELICACY AT RM 17 PER OYSTER BUT ONLY IN HONG KONG AT UMAI RESTAURANT IN LAI CHI KOK BUT HEY, HONG KONG IS JUST 3 HOURS AWAY!

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NEW EXPERIENCE FOR OYSTER LOVERS AT LAI CHI KOK ‘JAPANESE FISHING VILLAGE’ UMAI RAMEN SUMIBIYAKI Japanese ‘fishing village’ bistro UMAI Ramen Sumibiyaki in Lai Chi Kok is introducing a unique new experience for Hong Kong oyster lovers – single seed oysters. The jovial robatayaki grill in a rejuvenated industrial building at D2 Place, in which Umai has been awarded by Karatomari Fishermen's Cooperative in Fukuoka City as overseas oyster best seller, is now an exclusive importer of single seed oysters from Japan. With a distinctively rich and sweet flavor, they are being served sashimi-style.  Priced at HK$39/piece, customers can enjoy this particular type exclusively at Umai all year round. “Single seed oysters have a unique clear and delicate taste, from being cultivated in tanks and then submerged in baskets in the sea to grow and absorb rich nutrients,” said restaurateur Eric Ting, who has styled UMAI after Tokyo’s famous seafood izakayaafter-work drinking & dining bistros. Until the end of this romantic month in February, Ebisu oysters are also on the menu for Hong Kong Oyster lovers. Ebisu oyster is a top brand farmed by the same co-operative, which guests can charcoal grill the oysters themselves on small bintchotan ovens at their table – according to the tradition in Fukuoka during the winter oyster season, when they are grilled on the seashore. With minimalist subdued lighting and an inexpensive menu of binchotan charcoal-grilled BBQ skewers and robatayaki, the new bistro introduces a ‘care-free’ drinking and socialising concept. “The style is unpretentious, sociable and enjoyable, like the cosy bars in alleyways around Shinjuku-Nishiguchi Station in Tokyo,” said Mr Ting, “It’s a place to relax and enjoy a ‘one-big-family’ atmosphere.” Like Tokyo’s izakayabars, UMAI is a convivial after-work bistro, complete with traditional lanterns, fishing tools and artifacts from Japan. UMAI Ramen Sumibiyaki Address:              G02 G/F, D2 Place, 9 Cheung Yee Street, Cheung Sha Wan (D2 Exit from Lai Chi Kok MTR station) Reservation:        (852) 2743 8011/2743 8266 Opening Hours:   Opens every day at 12:00pm-2:30pm, 6:30pm-11:00pm (Robatayaki starts at 6:30pm) Credit Cards:       Octopus, Visa, Master, Union Pay Japanese ‘fishing village’ style UMAI Ramen Sumibiyaki introduces single seed oysters. Ebisu oysters, a top brand farmed by the same co-operative, which guests can charcoal grill themselves on small bintchotan ovens at their table. Single Seed Oysters, distinctively rich and sweet flavor, being served sashimi-style.